WINNER: England

There were more questions surrounding England heading into this summer than at any point since 2015.

Eoin Morgan’s side had drawn their most recent bilateral series 2-2 in the West Indies, ending a sequence of nine successive victories, and removed Alex Hales from their squad in a PR disaster for the ECB.

So a 4-0 victory over Pakistan in the last fortnight, featuring big performances from all of their key players, was timely.

England’s batting line-up is freakish. They average 6.29 runs per over since the 2015 World Cup, comfortably the best in the world, and also account for four of the top eight team totals since then.

The emergence of Jofra Archer not only adds an extra dimension to the hosts’ samey bowling attack, but emphasises their ability to bat all the way down to 11.

They will cruise into the semi-finals, and now have enough experience as a team and individuals to avoid crumbling in a knock-out match.

TO REACH THE FINAL: Australia

Australia lost six consecutive ODI series between January 2017 and March 2019, but it’s World Cup year, so of course they’ve got their act together.

The Baggy Greens impressively won 3-2 and 5-0 away to India and Pakistan earlier this year, and have further improved by reintroducing David Warner and Steve Smith to the squad.

Whether the returning duo upset the balance and chemistry of the team is an unknown, but Warner certainly looked sharp in the IPL, and his opening partnership with Aaron Finch could do some damage.

Success could also depend on Glenn Maxwell hitting his stride in the middle order. Scores of 52 and 70 in the warm-up matches is a good start.

OUTSIDE SHOT: West Indies

Expect a decent showing from the Windies, whose squad is so strong that John Campbell and Keemo Paul have only made the reserve list.

They have plenty of other big guns to call upon, with Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Carlos Brathwaite included, and showed signs of life in that 2-2 draw with England earlier this year.

Their 2016 World T20 victory proved that, though results between tournaments are often poor, they have the talent to rise to the big occasion. Backing them to reach the semi-finals at makes sense.

TOP BATSMAN: Jonny Bairstow

With the opportunity to bat the longest, and make best use of the fielding restrictions in the first 10 overs, opening batsmen have to be favoured here.

And in that field, there are two that catch my eye.

Jonny Bairstow averages 52.56 since cementing his place as a regular opener at the Champions Trophy two years ago, rising to a whopping 68.71 on home soil.

He hit 51, 128 and 32 in the recent series against Pakistan, having impressed at the IPL, so it would be a major surprise were he not in the running.

Elsewhere, Martin Guptill looks a nice shout, having been victorious in this market at the last World Cup in 2015.

The New Zealand opener is capable of the spectacular. Only Rohit Sharma and David Warner have hit more than Guptill’s nine ODI centuries since that tournament, a tally that includes three in his last 10 innings.

His average is also ninth-best of all openers to have played 10 or more innings during that time.

TOP BOWLER: Trent Boult

This is a strong selection, with plenty of evidence pointing in Boult’s favour.

The 29-year-old was the joint-winner in this market in 2015, bowling at the top and at the death when wicket-taking opportunities are maximised.

He is also the leading wicket-taker of all quick bowlers in ODIs since that tournament, while his strike-rate during that period ranks in the top 10 of pacers involved in this competition.

England’s Adil Rashid and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan are the leading wicket-takers overall in the last four years, but the former is nursing a shoulder injury and the latter has taken most of his wickets against inferior opposition, so both should be discounted.

Jasprit Bumrah is bound to go close, while South Africa’s Luigi Ngidi could be a nice outside bet.

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